Churches & monasteries

St Stanislaus Church in Nowy Korczyn

The Gothic church of St Stanislaus in Nowy Korczyn is a former Franciscan monastery church and one of the oldest monuments of the Nida valley. It was founded in 1257 by Duke Bolesław Wstydliwy (the Chaste) and his wife Kinga, later a saint.

A 13th-century presbytery

The first brick church is today's presbytery with its cross-ribbed vault — one of the oldest and best-preserved Gothic vaults in Poland. In the 14th century King Kazimierz Wielki (the Great) enlarged the church, in the 18th century a bell tower joined to the facade was added, and in the 19th century the facade received a neo-Baroque gable.

The sanctuary of St Kinga

By a decree of Bishop Jan Piotrowski of 2015 the church was established as the diocesan sanctuary of St Kinga, holding her relics; it now also serves as the parish church, taking over the role of the old parish temple. The interior is filled with Baroque: the high altar, stalls in the presbytery, a rood beam and polychromy completed by 1761, painted by Maciej Rejchan and Mikołaj Janowski. On the high altar hangs Rejchan's painting "The Raising of Piotrowin".

In practice

In the warfare of 1945 the western bay of the nave was damaged. The church belongs to the Świętokrzyskie Treasure route of wooden and medieval architecture; allow 30–45 minutes, and note the former monastery adjoining the presbytery, today the rectory.